In many automotive steering systems, a chassis mounted steering gear is connected to a steering wheel on a steering column by a steering shaft in the column and by an intermediate shaft between the steering shaft and an input shaft of the steering gear. An intermediate shaft assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,775, issued 9 Apr. 1985 and assigned to the assignee of this invention, includes universal joints at opposite ends to accommodate non-alignment between the steering shaft and the steering gear input shaft, a vibration isolating elastic coupling, and axial compliance for accommodating manufacturing tolerances and for installation purposes. An intermediate shaft assembly according to this invention is a novel alternative to the assembly described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,775 and includes features contributing to compactness and manufacturing economy.